According to media reports, China is reportedly building a series of “D-Day style” ships that could be used to support an invasion of Taiwan.
At least three of the new vessels have been spotted at the Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China, according to Naval News.
The ships are inspired by the World War II “Mulberry Ports,” portable ports built for the Allied campaign in Normandy, France, in 1944, The Telegraph reported.
Tensions between the two countries have increased in recent years. A series of ships were reportedly spotted in China, sparking fears of an invasion of Taiwan. (Getty Images)
Tensions between China and Taiwana key US partner in the Indo-Pacific region, are still agitated by Beijing’s refusal to recognize the island nation’s independence.
In its report last week, Naval News said at least three but probably five or more ships were seen at China’s Guangzhou shipyard. The ships, at more than 400 feet (120 meters) deep, can be used to reach a coastal road or a hard surface beyond a beach, the report said.
In his New Year message, the Chinese leader said Xi Jinping said “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable.
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Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, meet in Taipei. (Official photo by Chen Lin/Office of the President/File)
“The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can break our family ties, and no one can stop the historic trend of national reunification,” he said on CCTV, China’s state broadcaster.
Using barges, Chinese troops were able to land in areas previously considered unsuitable, including rocky or soft terrain and beaches where tanks and other heavy equipment can be delivered to firmer ground or a coastal road, the report said.
“Any invasion of Taiwan from the mainland would require a large number of ships to quickly transport personnel and equipment across the strait, especially land assets such as armored vehicles,” Emma Salisbury, a naval researcher at the Council on Geostrategy, told me. to Naval News. . “In preparation for an invasion, or at least to give China the option of leverage, I would expect to see an increase in the construction of ships that could accomplish this transport.”
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Fox News Digital has contacted the Department of Defense and the Chinese Embassy Washington, DC., and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, also in Washington.
